1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular hood apparatus including a hood sufficiently deformable in a lifted position to absorb an impact of an obstacle thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known vehicular hood apparatuses including a hood are provided on a vehicle. Such a hood is lifted upwardly and then held in a lifted position when the vehicle hits an obstacle. The lifted hood provides increased possible amount of downward deformation thereof. That is, the hood held in a lifted position can be deformed more downwardly. Thus, when the vehicle hits the obstacle and the obstacle is thereby thrown onto the hood, the hood can greatly absorb an impact of the obstacle thereon. One example of such vehicular hood apparatuses is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open HEI 9-315266 entitled xe2x80x9cVEHICULAR HOOD APPARATUSxe2x80x9d.
FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) hereof show the vehicular hood apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication.
As shown in FIG. 13(a), a rod 101 of an actuator 100 of the apparatus provided on a vehicle commences to rise when the vehicle hits an obstacle, as indicated by an arrow. The rod 101 has a recess 106 formed therein. Provided in the recess 106 is a rod retaining means 102 including a stopper piece 103, a compression spring 104, and a retaining piece 105. The spring 104 urges the stopper piece 103 in such a manner that the stopper piece 103 projects from the rod 101.
As shown in FIG. 13(b), the rod 101 further rises in a direction indicated by an arrow to thereby bring the stopper piece 103 into abutment on a housing 100a of the actuator 100. The stopper piece 103 is then moved into the recess 106.
As shown in FIG. 13(c), the rod 101 still further rises to an uppermost position, whereupon a hood (not shown) of the apparatus is lifted a given amount. The stopper piece 103 is then moved beyond the housing 100a of the actuator 100 to thereby project from the rod 101.
The stopper piece 103 abuts on an upper surface of the housing 100a to thereby hold the rod 101 in the uppermost position. Consequently, the hood is held in a lifted position.
However, the rod retaining means 102 including the stopper piece 103, the compression spring 104, and the retaining piece 105 should be mounted in the recess 106 of the rod 101, and thus the rod 101 becomes inevitably complicated in construction.
Further, since the rod 101 is relatively slim, mounting the rod retaining means 102 in the recess 106 requires a long time. Furthermore, forming the recess 106 in the slim rod 101 also requires a long time.
As a result, the actuator becomes undesirably expensive.
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular hood apparatus including a less costly actuator with a rod retaining means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular hood apparatus comprising a hood provided on a front part of a vehicle, and an actuator, wherein the actuator lifts the hood a predetermined amount when the vehicle hits an obstacle, the actuator including a rod for pushing the hood upwardly, and a rod retaining means functioning as a compression spring positioned below the rod, the compression spring serving to hold the rod in an uppermost position when the rod arrives in the uppermost position.
The actuator includes the rod retaining means for holding the rod in the uppermost position. The rod retaining means functions as a compression spring of simple construction. Therefore, mounting the rod retaining means to the actuator can be readily effected without requiring a long time. As a result, the cost of the actuator having the rod retaining means can be reduced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular hood apparatus comprising a hood provided on a front part of a vehicle, and an actuator, wherein the actuator lifts the hood a predetermined amount when the vehicle hits an obstacle, the actuator including a rod for pushing the hood upwardly, and a rod retaining means functioning as a gas supplying section, the gas supplying section serving to supply a space formed below the rod with a gas having a high pressure to thereby hold the rod in an uppermost position when the rod arrives in the uppermost position.
The actuator includes the rod retaining means for holding the rod in the uppermost position. The rod retaining means functions as the gas supplying section. The high pressure of the gas supplied from the gas supplying section acts to hold the rod in the uppermost position. The gas supplying section is connected to the actuator through a flow path portion thereof. This eliminates the need to mount the rod retaining means inside the actuator. Therefore, mounting the rod retaining means to the actuator can be easily effected without requiring a long time. As a result, the cost of the actuator having the rod retaining means can be reduced.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular hood apparatus comprising a hood provided on a front part of a vehicle, and an actuator, wherein the actuator lifts the hood a predetermined amount when the vehicle hits an obstacle, the actuator including a rod for pushing the hood upwardly, and a rod retaining means having a lock pin, the rod forming therein a recessed portion, the lock pin being disposed to be fitted into the recessed portion so as to hold the rod in an uppermost position when the rod arrives in the uppermost position.
The actuator includes the rod retaining means for holding the rod in the uppermost position. The rod forms therein the recessed portion while the lock pin to be fitted into the recessed portion is mounted in the housing of the actuator. It is therefore unnecessary for the lock pin to be mounted in the relatively slim rod. Consequently, the mounting the lock pin does not require a long time. As a result, the cost of the actuator having the rod retaining means can be reduced.